This acts as my "parent blog". It's side bar contains contact information, links to other sites, ordering specifics, background content, and more. It also has a complete collection of my floral designs for cards and prints.

Monday, June 20, 2011

I have new designs using photos of magenta hedgehog cactus flowers. The two digital flower stars are included as part of my mandala array posted on Brightlight Mandalas. I do not include them in my image inventory, as I don't look at them as complete works in themselves, but rather as design elements for the arrays. Some of these stars could stand alone as a peice of art, and if anyone is interested; I will work it out to make them available. I am listing the symmetrical composite shown below the stars.*******REFERENCE: i 156

Sunday, May 22, 2011

I recently bought a book of poetry by the Sufi poet, Rumi. It inspired me to share this quote as an illustrated thought of the week. I paired the quote with a teddy bear cholla star.*******I offer this piece here so as to add the quote to our list of texts.*******REFERENCE: t 129

Saturday, May 21, 2011

I finally have good photos of teddy bear chollas to work with. It has take some time, as they can be quite elsuive. Their flowers are a pale green and blend in with the cactus itself. While they are not as spectacular as many other cactus flowers, they are an important addition to my cactus hugger collection.*******This cactus looks fuzzy and huggable from a distance, but they may actually be the worst of our Sonoran desert cacti. They have little watermelon-shaped segments with thorns all the way aroung that come off easily. So if you get a thron in you, you end up with a segment attached and several thorns at once each with their nasty little fish hooks.*******When hiking in our desert, it is advisable to take a comb; because it is the only way to get the segments off without getting stuck more. I have come across patches of teddy bears that every time I turned around, I was getting stuck somewhere else. Ouch!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

I have expanded my digital art into animation. Here is a demo project that shows where I am going with this. I had an idea for doing this kind of thing 40 years ago, and now the technology makes it possible.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

A few months ago, I created a ring of joy around a rainbow mandala. Now I have a ring of peace and a ring of cheer. Others will follow. These are both made with yellow prikly pear cactus stars. All sorts of possibilities present themselves, and I will be happy to fill custom orders.

Zazzle Flash Panel

INTRODUCTION

The first entries act as an introduction to this site and each successive posting builds on those that precede. So if this is your first visit to this site, we suggest that you start with the first posting and follow from there. *******I like the blog format because it allows me to tell a story.

MY OTHER BLOGS

This site acts as my "parent blog". The sidebar contains ordering information, background specifics, contacts, etc. It is also a complete collection of my card and print designs with flowers. I am up to 14 bogs in all.

I am adding a tenth blog called Tidbits from Tucson. It is a collection of posts on a wide range of topics that don't fit my artwork display. It includes inspiring videos clips, recipes, essays, and more.

About Me

For 28 years, I ran a board and care home for chronically mentally ill in Tucson, and really enjoyed the work; but creating art has always been a part of my life.
I have worked in various media including oils and acrylics, stained glass, cloth and wood; but I have been concentrating on digital art for the past few years.
I have never made my living with art, but I do take it seriously. I don't want to give up my care giving work, but some supplemental income will be helpful.
I specialize in designs using flowers of the Arizona desert and think my creations reflect my appreciation for cacti and nature in general. Many of my designs feature mandalas, and I pray that all portray beauty and harmony.
In 2012, I moved back to Maine after 31 years in Arizona. I grew up in Maine, and am happy to be back. I will continue to add to my Cactus Hugger designs reflecting the beauty of Arizona, but will be adding designs that come from an appreciation of the beauty of Maine and New England. I am continuing work in care giving, and always like to do gardening wherever I am. I now live in the country and have chickens. I plan to add milking goats and more.

CONTACT

To contact me, ask questions, or order; you may use this e mail address:nightbloomingcards@gmail.com*******A phone number or address are available with arrangement.

APPRECIATION

I want to thank John Farley for his support over the last 25 years. He has been my sometimes tough mentor, friend and inspiration for all that time. He has helped many people during his unusual and amazing life. Twenty eight years ago, John also founded the board and care home I operate. It is just one of the ways he has dedicated his life to helping others. I hope to share more about his influence in the future.

Thanks also to Brian Ezzell. Brian has been very helpful in teaching me about computers in general and graphics programs specifically. Brian is a gifted painter who has good advice regarding various aspects of artistic pursuits.

I also want to thank my son, Chris, for getting me started with a lot of the digital graphics. He works in animation and has been unselfish in helping me learn the technology involved in creating the works you see here.

All three have been generous with their time and encouragement.

PURPOSE

My goal is to create art that has a positive effect on it's viewers. To that end you will see mostly bright, pure colors with little use of black or fire engine red. The themes are meant to inspire, encourage and please. All is done with peace and harmony in mind.*******While there is a place for political statements and calling attention to injustice, that is not my calling. Rather to make my art a reflection of contentment in my own heart is what I strive to express.*******That is the biggest areas for which I thank John. My life used to be chaotic; he has taught me how to bring order into my world. In that sense, I think of all my pictures as being a mandala or visual meditation.*******Let there be peace in our hearts, in our homes and in our world all year round. May my little creations contribute to the harmony in your world.

Animation

I have expanded my digital art into animation. I post the resulting videos on my Dancing Mandalas blog, and I have a You Tube channel at:

nightbloomingcards7*******I am also available for logo design and logo animation as demonstrated on the Dancing Mandalas blog.

ZAZZLE

I have started putting my products on Zazzle. It is an online site which gives artists a chance to market their products as customizable, on demand products. Through them, I will be able to offer prints, t shirts, mugs, bumper stickers and much more.*******I don't have all my designs posted on Zazzle, but I can post anything that you are interested in. I can also make them into whatever product you would like.*******It is a very nice service and I would recommend that you check them out.********You may link to the site with:http://www.zazzle.com/robert_coyne

MURALS YOUR WAY

There is an online service which creates murals for people to put on their wall as wall paper. They have a lot of beautiful designs available and I would recommend that you check them out. They can even take one of your own photographs and turn it into a custom mural.*******It allows me to offer you my mandala designs as murals. I can expand any of my designs as needed to make them suitable for a mural. If you give me the dimensions of your wall, I can even customize to that size.*******I have always wanted to do murals, but it is such a project; that I have never put it into effect. I would be thrilled to have one of my designs made into a mural, so I will happily do the design process for free and you will just need to pay the mural site for their end. I simply ask that you send me a photo of the finished mural.*******It appears that there are similar sites out there, but I have not checked them out yet. I would be willing to work with anyone.*******The link is:http://www.muralsyourway.com/

ORDERING

I am using Zazzle as my primary production house. You will find most of what you want available there. I can easily add whatever else you might want to that site. Zazzle does offer volume discounts. See:www.zazzle.com/robert_coyneIf, however, you want me to use a local printer to make up an order; I can do that. It is best to contact me by email for details and price.*******I can do most special orders without extra charge because new versions will become part of my inventory. There may need to be a small extra charge for some custom orders that have one-time applicability.*******Commission work and wholesale orders are negotiable. I am also open to collaboration, especially if someone wants to combine their writings or music with my graphics or animation.*******To see what I am doing with animation, see my blog:Dancing Mandalasor visit my You Tube channel at:nightbloomingcards7